There has never been so much information about poker out there. A quick glance online shows that there are plenty of websites offering poker lessons for beginners and there are also plenty of books or articles that you can read around the subject. It is definitely easy to take your first tentative steps into the poker world and start to build your skills. However, it is not so easy to practice these new skills in a world where everybody is consuming the same information and learning the same lessons. This might be where a poker coach comes in, they could be the key to helping players improve their game.
Where to start
When learning how to play poker the best place to start is to go to the internet, read some of the free articles and join sone of the poker forums so that you can start to gather ideas about how to play a basic game. Once you have mastered the basic game you could move onto books to pick up some more complex strategy or you could even pick up some software so that you can actually put your skills into practice. If you are still wanting to push yourself to play better poker at this stage, the next step might be to join a poker training website. Here you will be able to consume strategy videos from some of the best poker players around so that you can keep on developing your skills and maybe start winning at some of the mid-range tables. To build on your game even more, however, it might be an idea to enlist the help of a poker coach.
What is a poker coach?
Coaches are usually poker players who have had success in the game and who have some spare time available to teach other players. They can teach them the skills that they have learnt through the years in perfecting their own game. It is thought that poker coaching is the most effective way for a player to consume poker lessons because the teaching is one-on-one, meaning that the coach has the opportunity to access your strengths and weaknesses and really deliver a lesson that is structured towards your individual needs.
How would a session with a poker trainer be delivered?
Most poker coaching sessions take place over Skype. There are a few different formats that a typical session could take before you select a coach, you would need to think about which would best suit the way that you like to learn. You could, for instance, spend some time with your coach looking through your database and identifying where there might be potential issues in your game. You could record a video of you playing a game or two and send it your coach so that they can analyse it and offer you guidance on improving the way that you play. You could also play a game with your coach, allowing them to view your cards so that they could coach you as you play. If you prefer, you could ask the coach to allow you to see their cards so that you can question the way that they play and pick up tips this way.
What should you look for in a coach?
Any coach worth their salt is going to be expensive. This means, that you need to spend some time and effort making sure that you choose the right coach for you in order to make the most from your investment. Make sure you take a look through the statistics of any potential teacher, make sure that they have the skills themselves to back up what they say. You should also spend some time reading through the reviews, are other people happy with their method of teaching and have they had results? You should also spend some time speaking with a potential coach before you hire them. You need to be sure that you can communicate effectively with them, otherwise, their teaching is not going to be of benefit to you if they can’t adequately convey their message.
Hiring a poker coach can be extremely beneficial to anyone looking to improve their poker game, whether they want to take on the big boys in a professional league or just want to play for fun. Just do your homework before you do hire someone to make sure they are the right match for you and you will be playing at your best before you know it.